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Message  of  the 
Conf  Pam  #400 


MESSAGE  OF  THE  PRESIDENT, 


Richmond,  Va.,  Feb.  4,  1863. 

To  the  House  of  Representatives: 

I  herewith  transmit  for  your  information  a  communication  from  the 
Secretary  of  War,  coveriug  reports  from  the  Surgeon  General  and 
the  Chief  of  Engineers,  in  response  to  your  resolution  of  the  22d 
ultimo. 

JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 


COMMUNICATION'  OF  THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR. 


C.  S.  A.,  AVak  Departmknt,  > 

Richmond,  Va.,  Feb.  3,  1863.  \ 

Ilis  Excellency,  The  President  : 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  reports  from  the  Surgeon  General 
and  the  Cliicf  of  Engineers,  in  response  to  a  resolution  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  passed  on  the  22d  ultimo. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  A.  SEDDON, 

Secretary  of  War. 


REPLY  OF  THE  SURGEON  GENERAL  TO  A  RESOLUTION 
OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESE^'TATIVES  IX  REGARD 
TO  COPIES  OF  CONTRACTS  FOR  SUPPLIES  OF  ICE. 


C,  S.  A.,  Surgeon  Gf,nf.rai/s  Office,  ) 
Richmond,  Va.,  Jan.  24,  1863.      ) 

Hon.  James  A.  Seddox, 

Secretary  of  War: 

Sir  :  In  reply  to  the  communication  of  the  President  of  the  23d 
instant,  calling  your  attention  to  that  portion  of  a  resolution  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  requesting  "  copies  of  any  contracts  made 
during  the  present  Avinter  for  supplies  of  ice,"  I  have  to  inform  you 
that  in  the  month  of  November  last,  I  instructed  Mr.  Thomas  P. 
Turner,  superintendent  of  the  Government  ice  house  in  this  city,  with 
a  view  of  obtaining  a  good  supply  of  the  article  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  of  the  army  during  the  ensuing  summer,  to  make  contracts 
with  persons  in  Ilcnrico  and  adjoining  counties  for  the  delivery  of 
the'^article  at  the  ice  house  in  this  city.  Tlie  prices  per  pound  or  bushel, 
and  other  details  connected  with  the  contracts,  to  be  fixed  by  the 
Provost  Marshal. 

I  herewith  enclose  a  copy  of  my  letter  of  instructions  to  Mr. 
Turner,  dated  November  14th,  1862,  and  also  a  copy  of  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Provost  Marshal,  (Major  E.  Griswold)  to  Mr.  Turner, 
dated  on  the  17th  of  the  same  month.  I  will  add,  that  as  soon  as  it 
became  knoAvn  to  me  that  contracts  for  ice  at  seven  cents  ])cr  pound  had 
been  made,  I  disapproved  said  contracts,  and  ordered  that  not  more 
than /of/r  cents  per  pound  should  be  allowed  and  paid.  For  much  the 
larger  portion  of  ice  delivered  the  latter  price  has  been  paid. 

Very  i^espectfully. 

Your  obedient  servant. 

S.  P.  MOORE, 
Surgeon  General. 


THE  SURGEON  GENERAL'S  INSTRUCTIONS  TO  THOMAS 
P.  TURNER,  IN  REGARD  TO  THE    rURCIIASE  OF    ICE. 


C.  S.  A.,  Surgeon  Gf.nf.ral's  Office,  ) 

Richmond,  Va.,  Nov.  14,  1862.  J 

Thomas  P.  Turner,  Esq., 

Richmond,  Va. : 

Sir:  I  hereby  authorize  you  as  an  agent  of  the  medical  and  hos- 
pital department,  to  proceed  to  the  counties  of  New  Kent,  Henrico, 
Hanover,  Chesterfield  and  Fowhatan  to  collect  and  contract  for  ice,  to 
be  delivered  by  parties  in  those  counties,  or  hauled  by  Government 
as  the  case  may  be,  for  the  use  of  the  sick  and  wounded  of  the  C.  S. 
Army,  and  will  pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  to  you,  the  sum  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  ($125)  dollars  per  month,  so  long  as  you  may 
be  engaged  in  the  same.  In  regard  to  the  price  to  be  paid  for  ice  and 
details,  you  will  receive  specific  instructions  from  the  Provost  Marshal. 

Yqy-^  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

(Signed,)  S.  P.  MOORE, 

Surgeon  General, 


PROVOST     MARSHAL'S     INSTRUCTIONS    TO     MR.    T.    P. 
TURNER  AS  TO  CONTRACTS  FOR  ICE. 


Provost  Marshal's  Office,  ) 

Richmond,  November  17,  18G2.  \ 

Thomas  P.  Turner,  Esq., 

Richmond,  Va. : 

Sir  :  Under  instructions  from  the  Surgeon  General,  you  are  hereby 
ordered  to  rent  an  ice  house,  to  contract  for  and  have  put  in  proper 
order  and  repairs  such  ice  house  on  as  reasonable  terms  as  the  sa-ue 
can  be  done.  You  are  further  ordered  to  contract  for,  and  purchase 
for  the  use  of  the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  hospitals  in  around  Rich- 
mond, ice,  the  cost  of  said  ice  not  to  exceed  three  cents,  per  pound, 
where  the  same  is  not  delivered  at  the  ice  house,  and  not  to  exceed 
ten  cents,  per  pound  where  the  same  is  delivered  at  the  ice  house. 
These  purchases  to  be  made  as  reasonable  as  possible. 

By  order  of 

E.  GRISWOLD, 
Major  and  Provost  Marshal. 
J.  G.  Griswold,  Adjutant. 


COMMUNICATION  FROM  MAJOR  A.  L.  RIYES,  IN  RELA- 
TION TO  THE  CONTRACTS  FOR  ICE  AVIIICII  IIAA^E 
BEEN  MADE  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF  THE  ENGI- 
NEER BUREAU. 


C.  S.  A.,  "War  Department,  Engineer  Bureau,  ) 
Richmond,  Ya.,  February  2d,  1863.      ) 

Hon.  James  A.  Seddon, 

Secretary  of  War: 

Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith,  for  your  consideration, 
the  contracts  for  ice  -which  have  been  made  under  the  direction  of  this 
Bureau,  with  parties  at  various  points  on  the  line  of  the  James  River 
and  Kanawha  Canal.  • 

Ninety-seven  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty  bushels  (97,680),  or 
about  thirty-five  hundred  tons  of  ice  have  been  contracted  for,  at 
prices  varying  from  75  to  90  cents,  per  bushel  of  72  1-4  pounds,  or 
from  !S;20.76  to  $24.91  per  ton  of  2,000  pounds.  These  prices  are 
equivalent  to,  from  one  to  one  and  a  quarter  cents,  per  pound,  and  are 
to  be  piiid  for  all  ice  taken  by  the  Government  on  or  before  the  first 
day  of  May,  1863;  on  all  taken  after  that  date,  there  is  an  increase 
for  each  month  thereafter,  of  about  1-8  cent,  per  pound. 

Should  there  be  a  total  failure  in  the  season,  the  Government  has, 
in  two  of  the  contracts,  viz :  those  with  Graham  and  Locher,  agreed 
to  pay  one  half,  and  in  case  of  a  partial  failure,  a  proportionate  part 
of  the  cost  of  building  the  necessary  houses. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

t 

A.  L.  RIYES, 

Major  and  Assistant  to  Chief  Engineer. 


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